This sweet potato crème brûlée is creamy, full of cinnamon and sweet potato flavor, and has a crunchy caramelized sugar topping. And you can even have the crème brûlée inside of sweet potatoes for a completely edible treat! crème brûlée is so easy to make and comes together in 5 minutes. The recipe includes instructions on how to make sweet potato creme brulee inside of sweet potatoes and/or ramekins.
This sweet potato crème brûlée is inspired by my pumpkin creme brulee recipe
Jump to:
🍠 Why you'll LOVE this recipe
- Easy: This recipe is super easy to put together and is sure to impress!
- Crunchy top: The tops are perfectly caramelized and crunchy after torching them.
- Texture: They are super smooth, ultra creamy and perfectly set!
- Sweet potato shell: Optionally they can be baked straight into the sweet potato itself, no need to buy ramekins.
📝 Key ingredients
Read through for all the tips you will need for success!
Full steps and ingredients in recipe card below.
- Sweet potatoes: I used sweet potatoes as the bowls for the crème brûlée and added some mashed puree into the crème brûlée itself. This recipe has so much sweet potato flavor! I tried this recipe with both orange fleshed and purple skinned (white flesh) sweet potatoes and both worked wonderfully!
- Cinnamon: The perfect spice to enhance the sweet potato flavor.
- Egg yolks: They thicken and add richness to the crème brûlée.
You can use any leftover sweet potato puree in your lunch or dinner meal prep. Or substitute pumpkin puree for sweet potato puree in my pumpkin dessert recipes.
👩🍳 How to make sweet potato crème brûlée
Baking in sweet potatoes step by step
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). On a large parchment lined baking sheet place sweet potatoes and poke holes with a fork into the top of each one. Bake in oven for 45-55 minutes, until soft if poked with a fork. Wait until cooled down before handling.
Step 2: With your hands press down on top of each sweet potato to slightly flatten the top. Cut off the top piece of skin and remove. Carefully scoop out most of the sweet potato flesh, leaving about ½” of flesh all the way around - like a bowl. Measure out ½ cup of sweet potato from the excess and blend into a puree. Set aside.
Step 3: Combine egg yolks, sugar, and sweet potato puree in a large pitcher or measuring cup. Stir together until smooth.
Step 4: Add salt, cinnamon, vanilla extract, whipping cream, and milk. Stir to combine.
Step 5: Pour the crème brûlée mixture into the hollowed out sweet potatoes.
If you have extra mixture, you can bake it in a ramekin (see below instructions for how to bake crème brûlée in a ramekin).
Step 6: Bake at 340°F (170°C) for 20-25 minutes, until the crème brûlée is set on edges and still wiggly in the center. Depending on the size of the sweet potato, this may take more or less time. Let cool completely and refrigerate until set - 2 to 4 hours or overnight.
Baking in ramekins step by step
Step 1: Bake one sweet potato until soft and squishy, about 45 to 55 minutes at 375°F (190°C). Let cool and mash with a fork or a blender.
In a large pitcher or measuring cup, combine egg yolks and sugar. Stir together until smooth.
Step 2: Add salt, cinnamon, vanilla extract, sweet potato puree, whipping cream, and milk. Stir to combine.
Step 3: Pour the crème brûlée mixture into 4 ramekins. Place ramekins into a larger baking pan with tall edges. Pour boiling water into the baking pan, around the ramekins.
Step 4: Bake at 340°F (170°C) for 18-22 minutes, until the crème brûlée is set on edges and still wiggly in the center. Let cool completely and refrigerate until set - 2 to 4 hours or overnight.
Assembly step by step
Step 1: Sprinkle one to two teaspoons of granulated sugar on top of each crème brûlée and spread to cover liberally.
Step 2: Just before serving, using a kitchen torch, carefully melt and burn the top of the crème brûlées.
Be careful not to light the sweet potato skins. For this reason I don't suggest using the broil on your oven unless you are using ramekins. Let the sugar set and serve immediately!
✔️ Expert tips
- Don’t overmix the yolks and sugar: Mix just until combined to prevent too much air from getting added which can create a foamy top.
- Waterbath method: Use a kettle to boil water quickly. A waterbath helps the crème brûlée cook evenly and be perfectly set. A waterbath isn't necessary when baking inside of sweet potatoes because they have thick walls and are insulated.
- The crème brûlée is ready when the edges are set and the middle is still jiggly. Depending on the size of the sweet potatoes - some may be finished earlier than others.
- Give the crème brûlée enough time to set in the fridge to get a silky smooth, thick texture.
🥄 Make ahead and storage
Crème brûlée needs to chill to set. I like baking it a day or two ahead of serving. Cover and set in the fridge for up to 48 hours, or at least 3-4 hours.
It's best to torch or broil the top just before serving for the ultimate satisfying crack.
Store any leftover crème brûlée in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 2 days, or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
❔ Can you make crème brûlée without a torch?
NOTE: I don’t recommend broiling the tops of crème brûlée inside of sweet potatoes because the skin can catch on fire. Use a torch instead - it’s much more precise and you can avoid the skin.
Place the sugar covered crème brûlée directly under your oven's broiler and broil until melted and caramelized. Keep a very close eye and don't leave your oven unattended because the tops can burn really fast.
Essentially you want to melt the sugar until caramelized with a few burnt spots, without melting and warming up the crème brûlée too much. This will give you a perfectly set crème texture with a crisp sugar topping.
❔Can you make crème brûlée without a waterbath?
If you're baking crème brûlée inside of ramekins, I highly recommend using a waterbath. This helps the crème brûlée bake and set evenly. The edges don't get overbaked while the middle is still not set.
You can skip the waterbath if you're baking crème brûlée inside of sweet potatoes. The thick walls insulate the crème brûlée and help even out the baking temperature. It’s not as effective as a waterbath - but I don’t recommend placing sweet potatoes inside of a waterbath because they will get soggy. A crème brûlée waterbath is very similar to a cheesecake waterbath - like in my nutella cheesecake.
📖 Recipe FAQs
Granulated sugar or cane sugar are the best for crème brûlée because it forms a very satisfying smooth, continuous crust. Brown and golden sugar burn before the sugar gets a chance to completely melt and caramelize.
I don’t recommend this because after a few hours the sugar melts again and becomes a syrupy mess. If that happens, pour the syrup off and dab the top with a clean paper towel. Sprinkle more sugar on top and torch or broil again.
I tried purple skinned sweet potatoes and regular (orange fleshed) sweet potatoes for this recipe and they both work great! Purple skinned sweet potatoes have a starchier, thicker, smoother white flesh and are my favorite. Orange fleshed sweet potatoes are more watery and stringy - delicious and so vibrant!
They both look very similar. Sweet potatoes are typically sweeter and more readily available. I haven’t tried this recipe using yams instead of sweet potatoes.
Yes you can! Follow the instructions to bake inside of ramekins.
You should be able to fill 6 large sweet potatoes or 4-6 ramekins, depending on the size. Ramekins are usually larger than the sweet potatoes.
Yes you can - it’s all edible including the skin! It’s the cutest way to serve a decadent, nourishing dessert. A holiday showstopper dessert that’s great to make ahead of time!
🍮 More related recipes
Did you make this recipe? I would love for you to rate this recipe and hear what you think in the comments below! Share your creation on Instagram and tag @flouringkitchen. Follow me on Pinterest to save and for more recipe ideas.
📖 Recipe
Sweet Potato Crème Brûlée
Equipment
- 4-6 oven safe ramekins or use 6 sweet potatoes instead of ramekins
Ingredients
- 6 large sweet potatoes washed and not peeled
- 6 large egg yolks
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup sweet potato puree
- ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup milk
- 4-6 teaspoons granulated sugar
Instructions
Instructions to bake in sweet potatoes (if baking in ramekins skip to next section):
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a large baking pan with parchment paper and place sweet potatoes onto the pan. Take a fork and poke holes into the top of each sweet potato. Place into the oven and bake for 45-55 minutes, until soft if poked with a fork. Set aside until cool enough to handle.6 large sweet potatoes
- Press down with your hands on top of each sweet potato to slightly flatten the top. Cut the top piece of sweet potato skin off and remove. Using a spoon, carefully scoop out most of the sweet potato flesh, leaving about ½” of flesh all the way around - like a bowl. Measure out ½ cup of sweet potato from the excess and mash with a fork or blend into a puree. If you accidentally make a hole, patch it up with some mashed sweet potato flesh and press it into shape. Set aside.
- In a large pitcher or measuring cup, combine egg yolks, sugar, and sweet potato puree. Stir together until smooth.6 large egg yolks, ⅓ cup granulated sugar, ½ cup sweet potato puree
- Add salt, cinnamon, vanilla extract, whipping cream, and milk. Stir to combine.⅛ teaspoon sea salt, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract, 1 cup heavy whipping cream, 1 cup milk
- Pour the crème brûlée mixture into the hollowed out sweet potatoes. If you have extra mixture, you can bake it in a ramekin (see below instructions for how to bake crème brûlée in a ramekin).
- Bake at 340°F (170°C) for 20-25 minutes, until the crème brûlée is set on edges and still wiggly in the center. This may take more or less time, depending on the size of the sweet potato. Let cool completely and refrigerate until set - 2 to 4 hours or overnight.
Instructions to bake in ramekins:
- Bake one sweet potato in an oven preheated to 375°F (190°C). Bake until soft and squishy, about 45 to 55 minutes. Let cool and mash with a fork or a blender.
- In a large pitcher or measuring cup, combine egg yolks and sugar. Stir together until smooth.6 large egg yolks, ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- Add salt, cinnamon, vanilla extract, sweet potato puree, whipping cream, and milk. Stir to combine.½ cup sweet potato puree, ⅛ teaspoon sea salt, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract, 1 cup heavy whipping cream, 1 cup milk
- Pour the crème brûlée mixture into 4-6 ramekins. Place ramekins into a larger baking pan with tall edges. Pour boiling water into the baking pan, around the ramekins.
- Bake at 340°F (170°C) for 18-22 minutes, until the crème brûlée is set on edges and still wiggly in the center. Let cool completely and refrigerate until set - 2 to 4 hours or overnight.
Assembly
- Sprinkle one to two teaspoons of granulated sugar on top of each crème brûlée and spread to cover liberally.4-6 teaspoons granulated sugar
- Just before serving, using a kitchen torch, carefully melt and burn the top of the crème brûlées. Be careful not to light the sweet potato skins. You can also use the broil setting in your oven to do this - I don’t recommend this if you made the crème brûlée inside of the sweet potatoes because the skin might light on fire. The broil oven function will work on ramekins. Let the sugar set and serve immediately!
Video
Notes
- Don’t overmix the yolks and sugar
- Use the waterbath method for an evenly set texture
- You'll know its ready when the edges are set and the middle is still jiggly
- Give the crème brûlée enough time to set in the fridge
Elliot
Hi,
Could i cook this mixture inside of of a pot to create a sweet potato curd like filling? Would I need to add extra cream if i did this?
Thanks!
Mary
Hi I haven't tried doing that! It'll be more like a sweet potato custard, but it should theoretically work. If you try it let me know how it goes!